Coplay Trucker Cited After P'burg Crash Police

May 28, 1986|The Morning Call

A Coplay man was charged with careless driving after an accident early yesterday that tied up traffic on S. Main Street in Phillipsburg for more than seven hours.

John C. Diefenderfer, 29, was listed in satisfactory condition at Lehigh Valley Hospital Center, where he was transported from Warren Hospital by the Phillipsburg Squad. Phillipsburg police said he received injuries to his nose, right ear and right shoulder.

According to police, Diefenderfer was driving a tractor-trailer, owned by Horwith Trucks, Northampton, south on S. Main Street at about 12:38 a.m. Diefenderfer told police that when he reached a curve near the Norton's Cork 'N Bottle store in the 1000 block of S. Main Street, his load of cast-iron pipe shifted.

When he braked the rig, the tractor and its load tipped over. The pipes knocked out a Jersey Central Power and Light Co. pole and a Creative Displays billboard in the area, according to police.

Phillipsburg road crews were called out to sand the roadway, and two wrecking trucks had to be used to remove the rig, according to police. Phillipsburg firefighters were called out, and town fire police were also on the scene to direct traffic. Emergency units cleared the scene, and traffic was restored to normal at 7:58 a.m.